Update From Chief Flanagan 5/3/2026

Good evening! Another beautiful week in the books!

I had several productive meetings and conversations with some great people over the phone and zoom the first half of the week as well as attending a board meeting for the Charleston Chamber. We shared ideas for some of the exciting events that the board intends to coordinate this year!

Lacy, the kids, and I had a great dinner meeting with the Mayor of Altus Veronica Post, several other members of the Post family and some other wonderful people that each brought something special to the evening. The Post Family gave us a tour of their newest winery, Jacobs Cellar, seated up on St. Mary’s Mountain. It was a very informative dinner and the tour was a really cool experience!

Saturday we volunteered at the Belle Museum in Charleston, the biggest cache of historic Charleston memorabilia. The children and I attended a foraging class at the Charleston Public Library that was organized by the owner of Into The Wild’s Apothecary in Ozark with the help of Tribal Citizen Sarah E Irelan. If you didn’t catch that class, I suggest that you make the next one and learn about the herbs in your environment that have edible and medicinal properties.

Keep in mind that next Saturday is the Charleston Farmers Market May 9th from 8-12. This market is organized by Growing A Healthy Charleston board Director and Chickamauga Nation Tribal Headman Wade Posey. If you would like to set up a booth with arts and crafts, baked goods, or produce, please contact Wade, myself or any of our other board members and we will help you get started!

Thank you and have a great week!

Justin Flanagan
Western Region Medal Chief
The Chickamauga Nation